


we're a couple of misfits (and that's where we fit in)

by waltzforanight



Category: Flashpoint
Genre: Christmas, Gift Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-05 12:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waltzforanight/pseuds/waltzforanight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lew's supposed to spend Christmas with the Scarlattis, but an unexpected snow storm means he's not going anywhere. But that won't stop Christmas from coming to <i>him</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we're a couple of misfits (and that's where we fit in)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tobimonkee as part of the flashpoint_sru Secret Santa. Title from _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_. With many thanks to Sionnain for a rockstar beta!

As far as Christmases go, this one is pretty crappy.

Lew's spending it alone, on his couch, watching YTV. It would be embarrassing to admit that, except there's no one to admit it _to_, so it doesn't really matter. Besides, he's got a giant bowl of popcorn, that's good. And _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ is a classic, doesn't matter what channel it's on, and it's the source for most of his Christmas cheer this year.

Christmas has never been one of Lew's favourite holidays. It's not that he doesn't like it, he does. He likes going to Christmas services at the Church, he likes building snowmen and, yeah, he likes the Christmas specials on TV. He's got a Christmas tree, too. But he doesn't get as into it as other people do. Like Jules - every year she wears a Santa hat around the SRU headquarters for the entire month of December, and somehow this year she even convinced Ed to wear the complimentary elf's hat. Which is just plain _weird_, and Lew isn't sure he even _wants_ to know how she managed that. But anyway, it's obvious that they're both into the spirit of the season and stuff. Then there's Wordy, who gets right into playing Santa for his kids and carries the Sears wishbook around all month for "research purposes". Even Greg and Sam, who Lew thought would be kind of indifferent to holiday festivities, are right into it this year, decorating the lobby of the SRU headquarters to look like the North Pole.

And of course Spike loves Christmas. Lew never really expected anything else, but it's still kind of surprising just how into it Spike really gets. He's so enthusiastic about every aspect of it, from buying presents to making cookies (well, okay, eating cookies that other people make - especially the ones Shelley makes Wordy bring to work) to decorating the Christmas tree and just _everything_. Lew's been listening to him babble about the holidays since the day after Halloween. Especially about the big Scarlatti family dinner and his ma's struffoli, which she only ever makes at Christmas time and Lew has to admit is definitely worth all the raving.

Now that he's thinking about it, he really wishes he was eating _that_ right now and not microwave popcorn. Lew wasn't supposed to spend Christmas alone; he's supposed to be at the Scarlatti's, but an unexpected snow storm means he can't get there this year. All of the city's public transportation is down and no one in their right mind would even _try_ driving in this crap. Which sucks, because Lew has been looking forward to today for awhile now. He likes Spike's family, thinks they're hilarious and he enjoys spending time over there. Though if he's being perfectly honest, there is a small part of him that is relieved to be stuck at home. Most of the Scarlattis refer to last Christmas as _the year Great Aunt Rosa caught Little Mikey and that nice boy Lewis making out in the bathroom_, which is just embarrassing. Lew's pretty glad he doesn't have to listen to any more ribbing about that - it was bad enough at the barbeques during the summer, and bound to be worse _at Christmas_.

Maybe they'll forget about it by next year. He hopes so, anyway.

The loud, high-pitched _bzzzzt_ of his security intercom startles Lew so bad that he nearly drops his bowl of popcorn. He thinks about ignoring it, because this is his favourite part in the movie (when Rudolph and Hermy visit the Island of Misfit Toys) and it's probably just one of his neighbours locked out of the building again. But what if it's someone who needs help? The noise sounds a second time - more insistent than before - so Lew sets the bowl down on the coffee table and wanders over to the intercom . He presses the talk button and says, "Yeah?" kind of uncertainly, then switches to the listen button. The answering voice is so familiar, even through the cheap, crackly speaker -

"Hey buddy, it's me- damn, it's windy out here, let me in, yeah?"

\- but it can't _actually_ be Spike. Can it? Lew walks over to his front window, pushing aside the curtain so he can peer outside, and sure enough, it is. Once he wipes the fog out of the way, he can see Spike standing by the outside intercom and bouncing up and down on his feet. Trying to keep warm, Lew figures, but why is he out there in the _first_ place? Is he _nuts_?

_Stupid question_, Lew thinks, then realizes he really should go let Spike inside before he freezes to death. Or gets blown over. He rushes back to the speaker and hits the button to unlock the outside door, then throws open the one to his apartment to wait. It seems like hours before he hears the _ding_ of the elevator, then the sounds of Spike shuffling down the other hallway, and then finally he's in Lew's sight. Even from way back here, at the other end of the long hallway, he can tell Spike's wearing at least seven layers of clothing underneath his enormous jacket and that he's soaked to the bone despite all of it.

Still, Lew can't help but smile because even if - even _though_ Spike is crazy for doing... whatever it is he did to get here, Lew is really happy to see him. He steps back into his apartment, waits for Spike to follow suit before he closes the door behind them, then turns around to take in the sight before him. Spike is covered in snow; from the top of his hat all the way down his jacket and pants, there are clumps of snow sticking to him, kind of like he got pelted with a few dozen snowballs. His cheeks are bright red, and he keeps blinking through watering eyes as he adjusts to the sudden warmth of Lew's apartment. And despite that he's grinning, like the damn fool that he is.

"Spike -" Lew starts, then shakes his head. He reaches out and takes the hat off of Spike's head, which leaves his hair sticking up in a million directions and makes him look even more endearing, how is that even _possible_? Smiling, Lew tries again with his question, "Spike, what the hell are you _doing_? How did you get here? The roads-"

"The roads are _horrible_," Spike cuts in. "My truck got stuck in a snowbank like halfway here, so I had to walk-"

"You _walked_?" Lew interrupts, his eyes going wide. It's official: his boyfriend is insane. "Spike, that's like twenty-five blocks! You could have _froze_ to death."

"Yeah. It is cold as hell out there," Spike agrees, pulling his three pairs of mittens off with his teeth and then spitting them out onto the floor. "I can't even bend my fingers anymore." As if to prove this, he holds up his hands, which are almost deathly white, and puts them on Lew's neck. And that is _cold_, Jesus, it's like Spike's hands are _ice_. Lew makes an unintelligible flailing noise as he squirms out of Spike's reach. "Told ya," Spike says, putting his hands back down and shrugging. "I had to push that buzzer with my elbow. 'S not easy, you know."

"I'll take your word for it," Lew replies, because what else can you say to that? Once he's sure Spike isn't going to stealth attack him with his cold hands again, he steps closer and starts helping Spike out of his multitude of layers, hanging his wet coat on a hook by the door. Spike shoves a plastic grocery bag into his hands - where did that even come from? - and then starts taking off what is possibly the ugliest sweater Lew has ever seen. No, really, there are reindeer and snowflakes, and Lew may have to accidentally throw it in the garbage or something.

But commenting on it would only give Spike reason to be suspicious when the time comes. "What's in this?" Lew asks instead, lifting up the bag and untying the tight knot at the top.

"Breakfast," Spike replies, hopping on one foot as he tries to get his boots off. When Lew just stares at him with an eyebrow raised, Spike shrugs. "Yeah, I know, it's probably frozen by now, but just remember it's the thought that counts, okay? Maybe making you breakfaaaa -" He flails wildly as he starts losing his balance, and Lew has to reach out with both hands to steady him. "Thanks," he says gratefully, then picks up right where he left off as he uses Lew's shoulder to balance himself. "Breakfast and then carrying it through, like, fifty below temperatures wasn't the most logical plan I've ever had, but hey." Spike grins. "I promised you breakfast, and I have delivered."

Which is true, but _still_. "You know, I would have taken a rain check," Lew replies, looking inside the bag and then back up at Spike with a look of amused confusion firmly on his face. "What with the mega snowstorm and all."

Spike rolls his eyes. "Pfft. There are no rain checks on Christmas, that wouldn't be right."

"Oh, well, in _that_ case..."

The rest of Lew's response gets lost because out of nowhere Lew's got his arms full of Spike and his mouth is otherwise occupied with _kissing_ Spike, which is a much better use of his mouth than talking, definitely. Except that Spike may have shed half his layers, but his clothes are still wet and his hands are still- "Ahhh, _cold_," Lew protests, grabbing Spike's wrists and wiggling out of reach again. "Stop that, that's not cool."

Spike sighs dramatically. "You'd think you'd be a little more _appreciative_ of the fact that I just walked through a _blizzard_ for you," he replies sulkily, then winks so Lew knows he's not serious.

Lew rolls his eyes, then puts his hands on Spike's shoulders and starts walking him down the hallway towards his bedroom. "That's because you're a freak and I'm not," he points out reasonably, then laughs when Spike turns his head to give him a skeptical look and promptly trips over his own two feet.

"I wouldn't go that far," Spike replies as he regains his balance. "You're good at pretending you're not, but I know better." He taps his nose with one finger, then laughs. "I know _you_. Besides, you like that I'm a freak. You're happy I came over, I can tell."

Lew definitely can't deny that, so he just leads Spike into the bedroom, then starts rummaging through his pile of clean laundry. He hands Spike some dry clothes - a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and a sweater - then leans back against the dresser while he waits for Spike (who looks disappointed Lew didn't bring him in here for sex) to change out of his wet clothes so that he can warm up a little.

"You're missing out on a golden opportunity here, Lew," Spike informs him, though the words come out muffled because he starts talking as soon as he's pulling his shirts over his head. "I'm putting on a, a _striptease_ here -"

Lew interrupts him with a laugh. "_This_ is your idea of a striptease? Man, we gotta get you some lessons, you've got no _style_ for it, no finesse-" He laughs harder when Spike glares and throws the shirts at Lew's head. "Throwing the clothes is a good start, but you're missing the _tease_ portion. Draw it out a little, you know, keep your audience insuspense... Also, immediately getting dressed again kind of defeats the purpose," he adds as Spike pulls the t-shirt and sweater on.

"Ha ha, you're funny," Spike retorts. He rolls his eyes, but he also shoots Lew a crooked smile. "But if you want to give me lessons, you know, teach me by example, I'd be totally okay with that. As a learning experience." There's a brief pause while Spike finishes changing, taking off his soaked jeans and throwing them over the top of the bedroom door. Then he adds with a grin, "And to get you naked."

Lew shakes his head and pushes Spike out of the bedroom and in the direction of the couch while he goes to find some extra blankets to help him warm up. For all his joking around, he can tell Spike is still freezing because his hands were actually shaking while he changed clothes, and his teeth haven't stopped chattering since he walked in the door. _Completely crazy_, Lew thinks as he grabs a few off the very top shelf of his closet and then heads out to the living room.

"Here," he says, tossing the blankets at Spike, who is huddled in one corner of Lew's couch. One lands on the floor and the other hits him square in the back of the head. "Try to warm up, I'll see if I can save breakfast."

Lew doesn't really think that's going to be possible, but he's going to try anyway because he's glad Spike's here and he really is touched by the gesture. He takes the bag into the kitchen, leaving Spike to make nice with the blankets, and tries to salvage the food. It helps that everything is separated into individual containers, but in the end, the only things that are actually edible are the sausage and the bacon - which Lew thinks is the best part of breakfast anyway, so that's good. Not a very filling meal, though, so he tosses everything else in the garbage and sets about making pancakes. He's not a great cook, really, but he can get by okay if he follows the directions on the box carefully.

Twenty minutes and a few close pancake-on-the-floor calls later, and Lew has a pretty decent stack ready to go. He's surprised Spike let him cook in peace, but when he goes out into the living room carrying the plate of pancakes and a giant bottle of maple syrup, he finds out why - Spike is fast asleep, huddled in a cocoon of blankets. He looks ridiculous, but Lew leaves him there while he brings out the rest of the food and some coffee, then drags the table closer to the couch and sits down.

"Hey," he says softly as he turns to look at Spike, putting one hand gently on his knee. Spike doesn't even twitch, so Lew shakes him a little. That gets an incoherent mumble, at least. "Hey, Spike," Lew says loudly, and there, that does it. Spike wakes with a start, his eyes opening comically wide, then he blinks sleepily and yawns. "Breakfast is ready," Lew tells him, not hiding the smile that brings to his face.

"Breakfast?" Spike repeats, and it's obvious he's confused for a few seconds, then: "Oh! Hey, did my cooking make it?"

"Not really," Lew admits, and Spike looks disappointed. "The bacon, though, it's good. And the sausage."

Spike nods. "Hey, and you made pancakes," he says happily, twisting around so that he's less buried underneath the blankets and more just sitting on them. "Thanks."

Lew can't help but grin. "No problem." He bumps Spike's shoulder with his own. "Hey, thanks for... you know. Coming out in the snow."

"No problem," Spike echoes, smiling widely as he bumps Lew back. "Let's eat, man, I'm _starving_. You wouldn't believe what kinda appetite you work up walking through like five feet of snow."

Spike's already digging into the pancakes as he says this, and he spends breakfast telling Lew about his adventure in getting there ("The first time I fell into a snowbank was pretty rough getting out. I felt like a turtle, you know, stuck on his back? But after the third or fourth time, I got the hang of it. Maybe I should teach turtles? They could probably use some pointers..."), then calls his ma to tell her that he made it okay. She yells at him for a good ten minutes, which is hilarious no matter what Spike thinks. Then she wants to talk to Lew, and he's expecting that she's going to yell at _him_ (which would be less funny), but all she does is tell him to take care of her "fool son", which Lew promises to do. They spend the rest of the day on the couch watching what seems like every Christmas special ever created, making out during the commercials and both pretending that they aren't at all invested in the outcome of _Olive, The Other Reindeer_, then fall asleep on the couch about halfway through _A Muppet Family Christmas_.

It's a pretty good day, as far as Christmases go.


End file.
